MOSCOW, April 9. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor Angela Merkel have agreed to continue joint efforts within the Normandy Four format to settle the Ukrainian crisis, the Kremlin press service said on Monday after their telephone conversation.

"Putin and Merkel agreed to continue joint efforts in the Normandy Four format towards settlement of the Ukrainian crisis," the Kremlin said.

According to the press service, the two leaders focused on the situation in southeastern Ukraine and once again agreed that there is no alternative to the Minsk Package of Measures as a basis for peaceful resolution of the crisis. Putin and Merkel shared the opinion that all parties to the conflict must observe the Easter ceasefire and expressed readiness to continue efforts to help the OSCE special mission monitor the situation along the line of contact, the press service noted.

Apart from that, the two leaders also discussed "issues of possible establishment of a United Nations mission to protect OSCE monitors."

"The sides stressed that it is necessary to continue efforts to conduct exchanges of prisoners and illegally detained persons in the all-for-all format," the Kremlin said.